Answering Your Pet Allergy FAQs
Is your dog or cat constantly scratching and sneezing or has digestive problems after eating? Your pet may be dealing with allergies. Similarly to humans, animals can experience seasonal, environmental, and food allergies that cause unwanted symptoms and discomfort. Hamilton Road Animal Hospital in Columbus, OH, gets asked multiple questions about pet allergies and how we handle them. We are here to answer your frequently asked questions to empower you with the knowledge necessary to keep your pet happy and healthy.
What Causes Pet Allergies?
Like humans, animals can develop hypersensitive immune responses to substances in their environments. Frequent triggers include flea saliva, environmental irritants like pollens, food ingredients like beef proteins, and fabrics rubbing against their skin. Some pets can experience allergic reactions to multiple allergens simultaneously. Tracking your pet’s scratching patterns helps identify primary triggers.
What Symptoms Signal Pet Allergies?
Some of the most common allergy indicators include constant paw licking, face rubbing, and ear scratching. You may see frequent body scratching focused on the cheeks, paws, underarms, and base of the tail. Red, irritated skin prone to bacterial or yeast infections can develop due to allergies. Sneezing, watery eyes, wheezing, and other respiratory distress can also occur. Some pets vomit and have diarrhea after meals if food allergies are present. Catching symptoms early and identifying patterns across seasons helps your veterinarian treat your pet’s allergies and provide long-term relief.
How Are Pet Allergies Diagnosed?
Diagnosing allergies starts with your veterinarian reviewing your pet’s history to help identify likely allergen candidates. Veterinary Dermatology Specialists can do specific tests to confirm what your pet may be allergic to through methods like:
• Skin testing by injecting small amounts of potential allergens and assessing reactions
• Blood tests to check for elevated allergen-specific antibodies
• Diet elimination trials to systematically rule out ingredients that cause symptoms
Once we pinpoint the causes of your pet’s skin, food, or seasonal allergies, our veterinary team can begin a targeted treatment plan to ease symptoms.
How Are Pet Allergies Treated?
Avoiding exposure through allergen control in diets and home environments forms the cornerstone of care. Our veterinarians can also prescribe medications to provide significant relief. Antihistamines reduce swelling and itchy sensations to keep pets comfortable. Antibiotics can clear secondary skin infections due to allergies. Allergy shots introduce incrementally higher allergen doses to retrain the immune system's responses. Essential fatty acid supplements also nourish the skin and protect against environmental allergens.
Call Your Veterinarian Near You in Columbus, OH, to Treat Dog Allergies or Cat Allergies
Food, environmental, and seasonal allergies can significantly impact your pet’s quality of life, so contact Hamilton Road Animal Hospital in Columbus, OH, to treat your pet’s allergies today. Our veterinary team can keep your pet happy and healthy with preventative care and medication, so call us and schedule an appointment today at (614) 239-0027.
